Rufus Dempsey

Although Leonard Dain passed away in 2007, his school javelin record has lived on for an unprecedented 50 years.

Dain’s sister, Jan Shaw, has an old newspaper clipping detailing his record throw in 1976 and subsequent inclusion in the New Zealand secondary schools competition in Hamilton later that year, where he placed first.

This led to him representing the New Zealand Secondary Schools against an Australian States secondary schools’ team where he again placed first.

Ms Shaw hadn’t thought much about it until several years after Dain’s death, when she received a message from Lyn Riesterer, then sports co-ordinator at Ōpōtiki College, noting that the record remained unmatched 40 years on.

Since then, Ms Shaw has made a habit of checking each year to see if her brother’s record still stands.

“I’m not sure if he’d ever thrown a javelin before that, but he was very athletic. He played a lot of cricket and rugby; he was also a bowler, which quite possibly helped” she said

His record of 55.38 metres set in 1976 remains the benchmark for senior boys at Ōpōtiki College, sitting alongside other long-standing Bay of Plenty secondary school javelin records including Willie Walker’s 53.26m intermediate boys’ throw from 1994 and John Hunia’s 39.50m junior boys’ effort from 1993.

Hunia’s record was recently surpassed at regional level by Mason Farquhar of Tauranga Boys’ College, who threw an impressive 47.77m in 2025.

Dain’s senior record, however, endures. Even today, the distance remains highly competitive. Recent results from regional and national competitions suggest a throw of 55m would still place strongly, often within medal contention, and in most Bay of Plenty meets would be enough to secure top honours.

Ōpōtiki College has long held a quiet strength in javelin, with former students featuring prominently in regional rankings over several decades. That tradition continues with recent highlights including Mia McWatters who achieved her personal best and a school record during the 2025 season for the senior girls’ 500g javelin. A throw of 34.04m at the Waikato Bay of Plenty Secondary School Championships put her in second place overall. She also won at the Bay of Plenty Secondary Schools Zone in 2025, with a throw of 31.13m.

While changes to javelin design in the late 1980s slightly altered how far the implement travels, making direct comparisons across eras difficult, Dain’s throw remains exceptional by any standard.

Across New Zealand, only a small number of school athletics records from the 1960s and 70s remain active, with many having been replaced over time.

For Ms Shaw and her family, the record is more than just a statistic.

It is a lasting reminder of their brother – and a legacy that, half a century on, still challenges each new generation of Ōpōtiki field athletes to aim further.